This feature originally appeared in the 2017-18 Winter edition of the Cal Sports Quarterly. The Cal Athletics flagship magazine features long-form sports journalism at its finest and provides in-depth coverage of the scholar-athlete experience in Berkeley. Printed copies are mailed four times a year to Bear Backers who give annually at the Bear Club level (currently $600 or more). For more information on how you can receive a printed version of the Cal Sports Quarterly at home, send an email to CalAthleticsFund@berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-2427.



Now in the midst of her junior year in Berkeley, Golden Bear swimmer Kathleen Baker can run off a long list of accomplishments in the pool – Olympic medalist, NCAA champion, world-record holder. Apparently, that doesn't make her interesting enough.
 
Determined to add another element to her résumé, Baker found exactly what she wanted this past fall in a deCal course – one of the many pass/no-pass classes run by students and sponsored by faculty that are unique to Cal. The title? Speedcubing.
 
"I wanted to take it because I wanted to be able to say when they ask you for a fun fact, I can say, 'I can solve a Rubik's cube,'" Baker said with genuine excitement in her voice. "As I get older, I want to take in as much of Cal as I can before I graduate. I know that taking a deCal is something special that Cal has to offer and I want to be a part of it."
 
Putting cubing and her modesty aside, Baker frankly has plenty of fun facts to offer.
 
Baker arrived at Cal from her home in North Carolina in the fall of 2015 already well known in the sport, having qualified for or competed at the World Championships and the Pan Pacific Championships. Since joining the storied Golden Bear swimming & diving program, she has only expanded her levels of success and acclaim.
 
Following a freshman year in which she was the NCAA runner-up in the 200-yard individual medley, Baker took a huge leap forward at the 2016 Olympic Trials when she qualified for the U.S. team in the 100-meter backstroke. Later at the Rio Games, she earned a silver medal in the event, then swam lead-off for the gold-medal-winning 400 medley relay.
 
Some swimmers have a difficult time recovering from the Olympics for the ensuing collegiate season. But Baker kept building upon her achievements. At the NCAA Championships in March 2017, she became the only swimmer at the meet to win three outright individual crowns, taking first place in the 100- and 200-yard back, as well as the 200-yard IM, in addition to helping the Bears win a title in the 200 medley relay. As a result, she was tabbed the swim coaches association National Swimmer of the Year.
 
"I think her international success has made a huge difference for her confidence," head coach Teri McKeever said. "What I'm so impressed with was her ability to come off making the Olympic team, doing so well in Rio, and then putting together the year she had collegiately. She's healthy, she's enjoying herself, and she's always had a tremendous work ethic. It's been a pleasure to watch her have so much fun."
 
Baker didn't bother to slow down over the summer either, as she won the 100- and 200-meter back events at the qualifying meet for the 2017 World Championships. Once in Budapest for the international meet, she captured a silver medal in the 100 back, a bronze medal in the 200 back and helped the United States establish a world record in the 400 medley relay. For good measure, she also set an American record in the semifinals of the 50 back before placing fifth in the final.
 
"I feel like everything is going how I'd want it to go in swimming right now," Baker said. "I've had to make a lot of changes and sacrifices to get there and really look at the bigger picture sometimes. Right now, I'm happy to be in a better place each fall than I have the year before, which gives you confidence that you'll be in a better place in March or August heading into NCAAs or international meets."
 
Baker, though, has much more on her mind than the average swimmer and student. On top of the rigor of training, competing and studying, Baker battles the effects of Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract that affects some 700,000 Americans. Diagnosed at age 12, Baker must manage her diet and medicines to help mitigate the symptoms of Crohn's.
 
Baker first publicly spoke about dealing with Crohn's just before the Rio Olympics. Since then, she has become a sought-after resource. Baker took part in a Twitter chat for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America last fall, answering a series of questions that generated nearly 4.5 million impressions. She's also conducted interviews and appeared on magazine covers, all in an effort to be seen as a positive role model and inspiration to others who regularly have to handle the consequences of Crohn's.
 
"I get a lot through social media, or a friend knows a friend," Baker said of contacts who have reached out to her. "It's something that I'm happy to do because I know that when I went through this process I didn't have someone who I could ask a million questions."
 
While Baker is interacting on a personal level now, she fully expects to become more active once her collegiate career is over and she has her degree in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis in health and illness. Ultimately, her goal is to be a pediatric oncology nurse.
 
"I've had a lot of nurses who are long-term care nurses in my life, and they've made such a huge impact on me," Baker said. "I really like the relationship side of nursing."
 
For now, Baker readily admits that there are times when Crohn's flares up and she has to carefully watch her choices and stick to bland foods. She also understands which foods can trigger a reaction, but because the disease affects people differently, sometimes it comes down to trial and error.
 
 "It can be a really hard time," Baker said. "I get connected with people I would never have met if I wouldn't have shared my story. I'm grateful right now that I'm in a really healthy place and it's not putting me at a disadvantage."
 
To the contrary, Baker is clearly excelling, her results have put her in elite company within the Cal women's swimming & diving program, joining the likes of Natalie Coughlin, Dana Vollmer, Caitlin Leverenz and Missy Franklin who have each earned Olympic medals to go along with National Swimmer of the Year recognition.
 
"To already have done what she has, Kathleen has every intention of backing that up," McKeever said. "She shows a consistency of performance, not only at the championships meets but also at the dual meets. Having somebody that we can rely on and swim different events puts her in a league with those exceptional women."
 
Exceptional, indeed.